BDO Stoy Hayward's recent research suggests the credit crunch is pushing up the levels of corporate fraud. Of course, as always, internal fraud makes up a large part of the overall picture. Stories reaching my ears in the last few weeks involve sales personnel "upping" their business mileage, and therefore travel expenses, thinking that artificial increases in petrol costs will be disguised by the real increases at the pumps. Others involve simple pilfering of stock from company premises.
One financial controller I spoke to on the subject who lived through the last economic downturn in the early nineties had a good piece of advice. He said that companies should organise employee training sessions on fraud policy. His belief is that this immediately demonstrates to staff that you are being vigilant. Employees, who for the most part are not "thieves" but may be feeling the economic pinch, may be dissuaded from crossing the line. Wise words, as prevention is always better than the cure.